Lawmakers pushing for Climate Change Superfund Act measure to force oil and gas companies to foot the bill
By Chloe Bennett
A suite of environmental bills passed in the state Senate this week to mark last month’s Earth Day. One measure, delivered to the Assembly on Tuesday, could result in a multi-million annual grant for the North Country to help with disasters caused by extreme weather.
The money is anticipated under the Climate Superfund Act introduced by Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan. It would require oil and gas companies to contribute to a fund of $3 billion each year to foot climate disaster bills. The legislation was excluded from this year’s $237 billion state budget.
“By passing the Climate Change Superfund Act we are making it clear that when it comes to the hundreds of billions of dollars our state will have to spend to repair and prepare for climate change-driven extreme weather, we don’t believe New Yorkers should be left holding the bag and paying those costs alone,” Krueger said in a press release. “The companies that made the mess — big oil and gas — should help clean it up.”
Climate clean-ups in the Adirondacks
From 2011 to 2021, New York saw 16 disaster declarations related to extreme weather. Data from the nonprofit Rebuild by Design show the state required $26.3 billion in federal assistance following the disasters.
Flooding is at the top of extreme weather risks as precipitation increases with warmer temperatures. In the Adirondack Park, roads and ecosystems were damaged by immense flooding in 2023.
In July, parts of the park saw record-breaking rainfall, including the central Adirondacks. The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Huntington Wildlife Forest in Newcomb was flooded by 13.7 inches of rain, breaking a previous record of around 9 inches from 2021. The rain damaged trails and interrupted long-term monitoring projects in the forest.
In August, Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged $3 million in emergency assistance to counties hit by the rain. The money was intended to help low- and middle-income homeowners.
Michael Richardson, an activist with the climate group Third Act Upstate, said towns and villages need the money now more than ever. “Big oil has known for a long time that burning their fossil fuel causes climate change, but they never saw fit to pay for the consequences,” he said in a statement.
Results of a survey of climate scientists released the same week of the Senate passed the Climate Superfund bill showed a widespread expectation that the planet will warm at least 2.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. A goal made during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference aimed to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.
In the Adirondacks, heat waves and flood events are expected to increase, according to the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment. The superfund legislation intends to help regions recover from damage caused by the weather events.
The bill was first introduced in 2023 and failed to pass the Assembly in January 2024. Its Senate passing earned praise from environmental groups including NY Renews. “New York communities need the $3 billion a year the act would bring in by making the worst corporate polluters pay for the damages they’ve caused to our climate and communities,” said Stephan Edel, NY Renews’ executive director.
Both houses in Vermont passed a similar measure this session although Gov. Phil Scott has signaled he will likely veto it because of concerns about how much it would cost to bring companies to court and how long it would take to recoup damages, according to Vermont Public.
Under New York’s bill, Clinton, Fulton and Warren counties could receive $6.3 million annually, according to information from the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). Herkimer, Jefferson, Oneida and St Lawrence counties could see $19.6 million each year.
A third of the money would go to disadvantaged communities identified by the state. In the Adirondacks, one of those designated communities is a Census tract near Keeseville and Au Sable Forks. The fund would be distributed annually for 25 years.
Sen. Krueger’s bill has substantial support in the Assembly, where more than half the 150-person Assembly’s members are sponsors, including leaders of several key committees, but it is unclear if it will reach two-house passage this session, said Blair Horner, NYPIRG’s executive director.
Opponents of the bill include the Business Council of New York State which warns assessments on the large companies tied to greenhouse gas emissions would be passed on to consumers.
A 2022 study from New York University showed the bill’s passage would be unlikely to alter the price of gas at the pump.
Photo at top: Flooding at Heyworth Mason Park in Clinton County in 2023. Photo by Melissa Hart
Climate disasters have been occuring throughout the geological history of Earth. Carbon is only .04 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere. Of that, 3 percent is man made. What can humans do to curb carbon, especially in places like the Anderondacks and Vermont? The truth is nothing. I suggest that this agenda is more about energy conservation in order to redirect energy grids to support the new AI data centers, which will need an exorbitant amount of energy to run. The US electic grid is already unable to keep up with green energy demands, never mind the energy needed to power the new AI data centers, as stated by Larry Fink of Black Rock at a recent WEF discussion. Jthought.
Power suppliers will always be happy to supply power to anyone willing to pay for it. No one seems to be railing against cybercurrency data farms any more. Perhaps regulatory agencies should be directing their regulation toward heavy users and their relative. benefit to society.
But I would support forcing Big Energy to contribute to a fund such as this. It doesn’t matter how long climate disasters have been around – it doesn’t remove implication by carbon emitters. If you are saying fossil fuels do not contribute to climate change, you are in a shrinking minority.
It seems very few realize, or wants to admit, that individual consumers are the lowest rung of our economic ladder. Yes, it may feel good to grab a bunch of money from that evil corporation, but every one of those dollars came from an individual spending that dollar on a product. Creating this fund is just another way for NYS to once again dip into the pockets of its citizens without being directly responsible. If NY honestly thought that personal vehicle emissions were an issue they would discourage those emissions directly. Encourage work from home, fight the latest bill at the federal level mandating return to office for federal employees, and other direct actions. Instead they take the sneaky way which just happens to absolve them from directly taxing citizens for this spending yet still results in a windfall for their coffers.
Funny. Oil and gas companies produced the fuels creating a fraction of the problem. Everyone in the room (we the people and all the administrators passing these laws) have and are still the consumers, burning these products to keep our homes and offices warm and cool and our vehicles in constant motion, typically with one or two passengers.
And driving a hybrid or plug-in currently is no a solution. They are just as dirty as driving a normal car from manufacture thru end of use disposition. And in flatland USA 2 out of every three vehicles are AWD or 4WD, dumping at least 30% more pollution per driven mile than their 2WD versions. Who should pay?
Totally agree. Chip Act is a hypocritical policy that contrasts the Biden’s various climate initiatives. The Chip Act and IRA are about jobs for votes, wrapped in an aspirational veneer to address climate change.
“Assessments on the large companies tied to greenhouse gas emissions would be passed on to consumers”. That’s how the capitalistic system works, not like this “A 2022 study from New York University showed the bill’s passage would be unlikely to alter the price of gas at the pump”.
“Assessments on the large companies tied to greenhouse gas emissions would be passed on to consumers”. That’s how the capitalistic system works, not like this, “A 2022 study from New York University showed the bill’s passage would be unlikely to alter the price of gas at the pump”.
CO2 fear is the most destructive force on earth. China is building 3 new coal fired power plants a month to keep up with the USA demand for their solar, EVs, and related electron goods create more CO2 than the items will offset. Solar panels and wind turbines actually add to warming themselves. Al this stupidity will cost Americans over $100 trillion and make us energy dependent. We will freeze and starve as a result of the utility CEOs raking in trillions.
The greenies seek to ban element 6? Fine then they should embrace element 92 and watch Sabine Hossenfelder’s Youtube video on how to recycle spent nuclear fuel. In meantime I’ll continue to stock up on element 82 if November 2024 goes the wrong way and the greenies get to continue with their Green No Power Deal.
How would you ever enforce such a law? Enforcement of a law like this would cost the taxpayers so much money that could be better spent on real ways to improve the environment. This is a NYC political stunt, sounds great if you remove all logic from the equation. As usual, something like this about getting votes, not about fixing problems which is why we should be voting for people.